Morning journal and courier., 1887-05-17
THE FATE OF COERCION.
Gladstone To Determine His Cours By the Result of A Test Amend rpnent.

Gladstone To Determine His Course By the Result of A Test Amend
 ment.
 LONDON, May 16.-The proposal of MT. Smith that the House of Commons adjourn for the Whitsun holidays from May A to June leaves the House only four nights for debate on the coercion bill before the ad- journment as all the other sittings will be occupied with the estimates. It is doubtful whether the first clause of the bill can be passed before the adjournment. Sir Will liam Vernon Harcourt proposed an impor- tant amendment to the bill exempting from secret inquiry all proceedings relating to public meetings or agrarian movements in cIuding combinations to obtain reduction of rents. The Gladstonians will make this a test amendment. If the government ac- cepts it the bill will be permitted to pro- gress, but if the government refuses every possible device will be used to obstruct the measure. The government will modify the Irish land bill in the House of Lords. The original clauses enabled solvent tenants to apply for a reduction of rent under an appeal in bankruptcy. It is now proposed as substitute that joint applica- tion be made for bankruptcy order by both landlord and tenants; and further that the court be empowered to stay an eviction with out declaring bankruptcy by granting an ex- tension of time for payment.
 Mr. Gladstone will spend part of his Whitsuntide holidays in Swansea, Wales, where he will be the guest of Sir Henry Liberal. He wavered, however, in his loyal ty to Mir. Gladstone when he introduced his Irish home rule bill and acted with the Lib- eral Unionists. Recently Le became convert ed to the ex-Premier's views on the Irish question. It is probable that the Welsch people will signalize Mr. Gladstone's visit by a series of demonstrations in his honor.
 Lord Harrington to-day had long confer ence with the Marquis of Salisbury, Hon. w. H. Smith and MT. Goschen with view to fastening the passage of the coercion bill.
 When the credit for the civil service came up for consideration in the House of Com mons this evening MT. Dillon led in an at tack upon the appointments of MT. Balfour and Colonel King Harmon, charging the for mer with incompetence, neglect of duty and contemptuous treatment of the Parnellites. MT. Balfour replied that it was difficult thing to please the Parnellites, who com plained that his salary was too large while Colonel King Harmon received no salary at all. Mir. Smith defended the appointments. The subject was dropped.
 TrevcIyan on the Coercion Bill.
 LONDON, May 16.-Sir George o. Trevel- van, speaker at the banquet of the Eighty club tonight, strongly condemned the coer- cion bill as unjust and exasperating. He said that what divides the Liberals was not the question of granting home rule to the Irish, but of granting them liberty. Although the text of Mir. Gladstone's bills was dead their spirit of generosity and confidence toward Ire land still existed. If Lord Hart ington and his followers desired to return to the party, they would be welcomed and 8 treaty might be formed based upon the four conditions set forth in Lord Hartington's electoral address. He believed these were not more than twenty Liberal commoners who desired to exclude Irish members from Westminster and that there was not one of those twenty who were not willing to give up the point in order to secure the return of Harrington to the Liberal ranks. He taunt- ed Lord Salisbury with having taken office with the help of the Parnellite vote in the face of Forster's accusation against Parnell of complicity in crime. He concluded by declaring that the Liberals wanted the Union ists to rejoin their old party and would pay any honorable price to get them back. The speech created sensation in the, lobbies of Parliament. The homerulers regard it as a triumph for their cause